www.cigarettesmax.com - tobacco-newsNewsMarlboro Silver - More Menthol 120 - Pall Mall Blue2015-02-10 12:36:00Your favorite brands are back in stock again! We are glad to inform you that we have updated our cigarette catalogue, adding a multitude of well-loved and well-known cigarette types as well as brand new kinds of smokes!
Among the newly added types are the two kinds of More 120s: More Menthol 120s and More 120s Filters – magnificent cigarettes of medium strength.
For those, who love very light cigarettes and impeccable quality – Marlboro Silver will be a perfect fit. It contains only 0.1 mg of nicotine and is very smooth.
For the real connoisseurs of classy cigarettes we added three new types of Parliament cigarettes: Parliament Pearl Blue, Parliament Carat Sapphire, Parliament Carat Topaz.
Beloved by many, Pall Mall Blue has appeared back in stock, along with the lighter Pall Mall Silver.
And finally, for those who appreciate the uniqueness and aroma of the small cigars, we present Captain Black that from now on will be available in our store in various flavors!
Offer
Amount
Price, $
Marlboro Silver
3
$20.00
Captain Black Cherise
2
$45.00
Captain Black Dark Crema
2
$45.00
Captain Black White Crema
2
$45.00
Captain Black Classic
2
$45.00
Capri Azzurro
3
$16.58
Capri Bianco
3
$16.58
More Red 120
3
$21.20
More Menthol 120
3
$21.20
Pall Mall Blue
3
$17.00
Pall Mall Silver
3
$17.00
Parliament Pearl Blue
3
$21.00
Parliament Carat Sapphire
3
$21.00
Parliament Carat Topaz
3
$21.00
Rothmans Nano Blue
3
$16.00
Rothmans Nano Silver
3
$16.00
http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/marlboro_more_pall_mall.html
Special Winter Cigarette Sales2014-12-20 17:35:00Dear Customers!
Christmas at our online Cigarettes Store: a fairy-tale is getting closer!
We hope that the coming year will bring you peace, good health, good cheer and prosperity.
Each year during the holiday season we take great pleasure in sending a heartfelt message to our dear customers.
How joyful we are that this time has come again to extend to you our sincere gratitude because it is great customers like you that make our business possible.
At this Holiday Season Our Thoughts Turn Gratefully to Those Who Make our Progress Possible!
OUR PRICES ARE MELTING! The best cheapest prices only in our shop!
HURRY UP to place an order - click here for hot offers on cigarettes !
May your holiday be filled with joy and the coming year be overflowing with all the good things in life!
Our Best wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year to every smoker!http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/winter_cigarettes_sales.html
Population-specific Community-based Cancer Screening May Discourage Smoking2014-05-15 16:42:00Alexandria, VA - Large, population specific community-based screening may increase awareness of the dangers of smoking cigarettes and reduce at-risk behaviors, according to a new study in the November 2011 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
While the World Health Organizations estimates that 60 to 80% of head and neck cancers could be curbed by changing at-risk behaviors, such as cigarettes use, our national programs to date have had little impact reducing these mortalities. To change this statistic and control costs, the June 2011 Affordable Care Act, (PL 111 - 148) mandated development of effective and achievable means for improvement in the U.S. health status. Contributing to the effort, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support community-based programs that pair the offering of healthcare such as cheap cigarettes control interventions with education. This studys authors, understanding that office-based screening programs may not benefit those at risk who do not receive routine healthcare, set out to determine if participation in community-based screenings could result in a reduction in tobacco use and if different factors in participants predict behavior change.
To target the study population, NASCAR fans at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, who fit the demographic identified by Institute of Medicine of the National Academy as most at risk, were recruited. These were screened for symptoms indicative of head and neck cancer, such as lumps or sores in the mouth. Of the 578 participants who received a full screening, 31% were further identified as smokers. During the screening, physicians discussed signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer, the risks of tobacco use, and tobacco cessation with all participants.
A telephone survey of study participants was conducted six months later. Of those reached for survey who had identified as smokers at the screening, 59% reported smoking cigarettes fewer cigarettes store per day than six months prior, and 15% reported quitting smoking cigarettes entirely. Based on this evidence, the authors suggest that the screening may have impacted tobacco cessation.
While the studys authors acknowledge that more research is needed, they state that community-based screening is likely useful, as it provides another source of tobacco-use education for an at-risk population. They write: More must be done at national, state, and community level to support tobacco cessation in venues outside those funded government programs that historically have had little impact on tobacco use and head and neck cancer mortality. Physicians and healthcare workers must take the lead in developing creative avenues to teach their patients about tobacco cessation and its link to cancer and other diseases.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/population_specific_community_based_cancer_screening_may_discourage_smoking.html
California Increases Efforts To Regulate Tobacco Sales2013-12-04 15:36:00Earlier this week, the California Attorney Generals Office filed a lawsuit against Huber Enterprise Smoke Shop, a tribal buy cigarette online shop located on the Wiyot Table Bluff Reservation, and its owner, Ardith Huber, claiming the cheap cigarette online shops sales of untaxed, non-fire-safe-certified, off-directory cheap cigarettes to non-Native Americans beyond the reservations boundaries violates California law, including Californias Unfair Competition Law. Hubers attorney claims the state lacks jurisdiction over the tribal tobacco shop because Huber is a Native American operating her shop on her own reservation. The court will hear argument on the jurisdictional issue on November 10th.
Less than four months ago, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled against a tribal tobacco shop in a similar case. In Harris v. Black Hawk Tobacco, Inc., 197 Cal. App. 4th 1561 (2011), the court upheld a preliminary injunction barring Black Hawk, a tobacco products retailer operating stores on the trust lands of Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, from selling off-directory, non-fire-safe certified, untaxed cigarettes online to non-Native Americans. Similar to the Huber case, the state claimed in Harris that such sales violated Californias tobacco directory statute and Cigarette Fire Safety and Firefighter Protection Act, as well as the federal Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Act. Black Hawk claimed it was entitled to make the sales because it was a Sac and Fox Nation corporation owned by an enrolled Sac and Fox Indian and operating on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The Fourth District, however, disagreed. The court concluded that the state has the authority to tax and regulate cigarette sales to non-Native Americans. According to the court, [n]o federal or tribal interest outweights the states interest in collecting cigarette tax revenue or in enforcing the California tobacco directory and fire-safety laws. The court also found that defendants would not suffer any harm from the issuance of the preliminary injunction because Black Hawk could continue to operate by selling other brands of fire-safe-certified, tax-stamped cigarettes for sale listed on the California directory. It is important to note that, unlike Huber, Black Hawk and its owner are not members of the tribe on whose land they operate, a fact noted by the Black Hawk trial court in ruling that tribal sovereignty did not apply to Black Hawk and its owner.
Will the Huber court follow the lead of the Black Hawk court? Stay tuned. The Troutman Sanders Tobacco Team will monitor developments in these cases.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/california_increases_efforts_to_regulate_tobacco_sales.html
MSU OKs Strict Ban On Tobacco2012-10-20 17:20:00Tobaccos days are numbered at Montana State University.
More than two dozen campus leaders voted unanimously at Wednesdays University Council meeting to approve a policy that will ban smoking cigarettes, chewing cigarettes store and all discount cigarette online products starting Aug. 1, 2012.
Once it takes effect, students, employees, guests, conference attendees and contractors wont be allowed to use tobacco on the Bozeman campus. The ban will apply even in personal cars, at football games, inside or outside of dorms, in university-owned or -leased buildings or on sidewalks running through the Bozeman campus.
The only exception would be public sidewalks along streets not owned by MSU. That appears to include Kagy Boulevard and part of South 11th Avenue, south of Lincoln Street from the MSU Alumni and Foundation building to Kagy. However, Leslie Taylor, MSU chief legal counsel, said shell have to research further which streets are public and which are MSU-owned.
Its clear to me this is the right thing to do, said Joey Steffens, student vice president, urging a yes vote. Steffens was a leader of last springs referendum, in which 61 percent of student voters endorsed a tobacco ban.
He predicted it will make the Bozeman campus a safer, cleaner and healthier place.
MSU President Waded Cruzado said the University Council supported the student-initiated concept of a tobacco ban last May, but waited to vote on the official policy until students and staff returned in the fall so they could be consulted.
John Neumeier, physics professor and Faculty Senate chair-elect, said an email poll of professors got 10 responses supporting the ban, 11 in support but wanting to offer smokers some accommodation and three opposed. Kevin Thane of the Staff Senate said about 60 percent of employees polled were in full support, but there were some reactions like: Im 61 years old, Ive smoked all my life, you cant make me quit.
Asked if an employee could be fired for smoking cigarettes, Taylor said the intent is to enforce the ban through education and friendly persuasion.
However, Taylor said if someone refuses to comply with a reasonable order, that could be insubordination and the employee would potentially be subject to discipline or firing.
The next 10 months will be used to educate people about the upcoming ban.
The committee members who worked on the tobacco policy considered setting up a few smoking cigarettes areas to accommodate smokers, Taylor said. But they decided once there was a place to smoke, she said, the university would never get rid of it.
The University of Montanas tobacco ban took effect this fall and has not had any major problems, Taylor said. Some students sneak out of dorms late at night to smoke, and campus police simply ask them to stop.
Overall, its a surprising success, Taylor said of UMs ban.
Jim Mitchell, Student Health Center director, said he supports the ban 100 percent. The most common chronic illness on campus is asthma, Mitchell said, and those students complain of having to walk through clouds of smoke cigarettes from smokers congregated outside the Renne Library, for example. Montana offers free help on its Tobacco Quit Line, which some lawmakers tried to eliminate but the governor dug in his heels, Mitchell said.
This has potential to produce not only a healthier environment, but to help save money from the reduction of health care expenses, Mitchell said.
Jenny Haubenreiser, director of MSU Health Promotion, said MSU will join about 500 campuses nationwide that are smoke-free, and become the sixth in Montana to go tobacco-free.
MSUs tobacco ban wont apply to its sister campuses in Billings, Havre and Great Falls, which get to decide for themselves. However, it will apply to MSUs agricultural research centers, property and vehicles leased or owned by MSU, and athletic facilities. Tobacco advertising and sponsorship of events or faculty positions will be banned. Tossing cigarette butts on campus will be prohibited.
The only exceptions to the ban will be using tobacco in lab experiments, classroom instruction, or for American Indian cultural or religious ceremonies, if approved in advance by the presidents office.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/msu_oks_strict_ban_on_tobacco.html
A Proposed City Smoking Ban 2012-09-19 21:53:00Civilization has been engaging in the same general argument for thousands of years, says Jasper LiCalzi, professor of political economy at the College of Idaho: How do you answer the wishes of a majority without trampling the rights of individuals?
That question has come up several times in the past year for Boise city leaders. First came panhandling: Where is the line between a persons right to ask for money and a business owners not to have beggars discouraging customers?
Playing in the Boise River, too, has been an issue. Whats the line between rowdy river jumpers, who say theyre enjoying a healthy summer pastime, and rafters, who call them a menace?
Now, questions have arisen over proposed ordinances to ban smoking cigarettes in bars, some parts of public parks and other places in Boise where people congregate.
Councilman Alan Shealy said its been a while since the council has dealt with such a contentious issue.
Hes one of the councils biggest supporters of the smoking cigarettes ban. And public sentiment so far is on his side.
Following a spirited public information meeting Oct. 5, when bar owners and their allies squared off against members of the medical community and parents of young children, the mayors office received 131 comments from the public about the ordinances.
Seventy-three were in favor of the proposals to ban smoking cigarettes, 58 were against. A 2010 citizen survey backs that up, with about three out of four favoring banning smoking cigarettes in all indoor public places, including bars.
The margin is smaller when it comes to parks, with just over half of survey responders in favor of banning smoking cigarettes there.
Sentiment about where the city should draw its line, though, is split at one local park — Rhodes Skate Park near the River Street neighborhood.
Some limits are reasonable, said Collus Hill, who smoked for a decade and quit. I can see banning smoking cigarettes around playgrounds where kids are. Children pick up on grown-ups habits.
But even he says the city has to find some kind of equal ground, where children are healthy and people can smoke.
The citys proposed smoking cigarettes ban is a slippery slope for Wiley Padden.
The city government is taking too many civil liberties away, increasing a stranglehold on what you can do, said Padden.
Basic laws are OK, but you take away smoking cigarettes, jumping in the river, society will turn into something like Demolition Man, said Padden, referring to the film about a post-apocalyptic world.
Shealy said the council has heard from citizens who say the proposed ordinances violate their constitutional right to privacy.
There is no constitutional right to smoke. Privacy laws do not protect smokers, he said, adding that people have the right to smoke cigarettes all they want — until that behavior affects someone elses health.
Council members say the city wants to provide a safe working environment for bartenders and others who work around smoke.
The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution does say that private property cant be taken for public use without just compensation, said LiCalzi.
Some local bar owners argue that the city is, in effect, taking their property away if the smoke cigarettes ban keeps customers from coming through their door.
But the other side looks at it from a society standpoint, since a great deal of the cost of health care is borne by the public, LiCalzi said. Does the public have a say in what smokers do if its paying for emergency rooms and Medicare?
Smoke-ban advocates say yes. The citys arguments in favor of the ban note that cigarettes use costs every taxpaying household in Idaho $539 per year.
City leaders are still searching for the line between majority and minority, and making refinements.
Before the Oct. 5 public information meeting, the proposed ordinance banned smoking cigarettes in smoke cigarettes shops. At its last work session the council proposed exempting stores whose business is 95 percent cheap cigarettes or tobacco-related products.
Changes might still be made to the proposals, said city spokesman Adam Park, depending on what happens at Tuesdays council meetings.
The city added a 4 p.m. session in addition to its usual 6 p.m. session to accommodate crowds, particularly bar workers who might not be able to attend in the evening.
In ancient Athens, they were having the same kinds of arguments, said LiCalzi, but not about tobacco. Maybe about wine.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/a_proposed_city_smoking_ban.html
Roll-your-own Cigarette Machines Draw Scrutiny2012-09-10 12:33:00Lawrence Davis has purchased his last pack of Camel Lights.
After smoking cigarettes for 36 years, he has no plans to stop. Instead, the West Nashville man has found an alternative to get the Turkish mellow cigarettes taste for nearly half the price. He gets his fix at Roll With It smoke cigarettes shop, which operates an RYO Filling Station that allows customers to pack tubes and cheap cigarettes into the roll-your-own machines that assemble the cigarettes online and output as many as 25 buy cigarettes per minute.
The do-it-yourself approach saves the smokers the 62 cents per 20-pack state cigarette tax and the $1.01 per pack federal cigarette tax. The new wave of cigarette technology has already prompted a federal court case, but smokers are singing the praises of the RYO machines, which have been under the state governments radar until recently.
Davis pays $24 for 200 cigarettes, about half price. Its a better, milder taste, he said. I know its bad for me, but I love it. I never thought about quitting, but when prices started going up the roof, I was looking for a cheaper way.
RYO Machine Rental LLC provides that cheaper option in 38 U.S. states. In only its third year, the company has grown from a handful of machines in Girard, Ohio, to about 1,500 across the country. The machines have been in Tennessee for the past year, and 14 of the states 30 RYO machines are operated in Middle Tennessee.
The new technology offers an updated version of the old practice of hand-rolling cigarettes, said Phil Accordino, president of the Ohio-based company. The customers spend about 10 minutes of their time making their own special blend of cigarettes. The roll-your-own technology has been heralded by local cost-conscious smokers, but the federal government is pushing for more regulation on the business owners that operate the machines.
For nearly a year, RYO Machine Rental LLC and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have been in a legal fight over whether those who run the smoke cigarettes shops that feature roll-your-own machines should be considered cigarette manufacturers. The designation would require business owners to obtain a permit with the federal Tax and Trade Bureau, which would require additional taxation and record keeping comparable with commercial cigarette manufacturers. The case is pending in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The idea that RYO machines could be compared to commercially operated manufacturing devices is absurd, Accordino said.
Its like comparing a horse and buggy to a Ferrari, he said. The commercial devices make 20,000 cheap cigarette online per minutes. Ours make about 20 to 25 per minute. Its just a small improvement to rolling your own. Weve only created a Model T.
Accordino sells his machines for $32,500 to state distributors and discount cigarettes shop owners. He started the business after running a mom-and-pop buy cigarette online shop in Girard for about 10 years. The increasing price of packaged cigarettes for sale prompted Accordino to research the roll-your-own concept, he said. Though there are misconceptions that shop owners are evading federal taxes, those who run the RYOs in Tennessee and across the country are subject to taxes like all business owners, Accordino said.
Its about competition, Accordino said. People are trying to target our small increases in technology because the perception of the large cigarette manufacturers is that we may be real competition some day. This is no different from brewing your own wine or growing vegetables in your backyard. Naturally, people are seeking cheaper alternatives.
In Tennessee, those shop owners are required to be licensed to distribute tobacco, purchase from a licensed tobacco wholesaler, and pay the 6.6 percent state tobacco tax in addition to other business permitting and taxing, said Billy Trout, Tennessee Department of Revenue spokesman. The tobacco tax, along with the tobacco, tubes and rental of the RYO machine, is factored into the customers purchase price.
The state revenue department currently has no concerns about RYO businesses taxation or regulations, Trout said.
No proof its saferSmokers are flocking to Roll With It for the menthol, Turkish Mellow and Kentucky Select tobacco flavors, said store owner Robert Corenswet. He runs two RYO Filling Station machines at his store, which opened in February, and soon will add a third. Besides affordable cigarettes, his customers appreciate having a refuge from a culture that bans smokers, he said.
Patrons can light up on the premises. The only rules: Patrons must be 18 and are not allowed to bring in their own tobacco.
Smokers are so put upon. Theyre banned from buildings everywhere you go, Corenswet said. Were offering the customers a place to be free. Were seeing growth every month because of it.
Mary Hamilton of Smyrna said she appreciates avoiding what she calls the sin tax when she makes her own cigarettes at EZ Roll in Hermitage. The retired nurse has rolled her own cigarettes for the past six months. Shes been a smoker for 10 years.
The tobacco industry has no one to blame but themselves for the addiction people have, so why shouldnt we be able to save? said Hamilton, 60. People are going to smoke, so for me, its nice that I dont cough as much when I smoke cigarettes these. Its just smoother.
Richard Boensch, owner of EZ Roll, said several of his customers have commented that the RYO cigarettes cause fewer symptoms — such as coughing and burning sensations — than brand-name cigarettes do. The cigarettes have fewer additives than typical cigarettes, but he said theres no proof the cigarettes are healthier for smokers.
Boensch opened his store on Old Hickory Boulevard in October shortly after his son began operating RYO machines in Daytona, Fla.
The attempt by the Treasury Department to hinder the RYO business likely will go nowhere, Boensch said.
The business has increased since I started, and theres more stores popping up around town, Boensch said. Smokers are just middle-income Americans. The middle- income people of this country deserve a break, and this is it.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/roll_your_own_cigarette_machines_draw_scrutiny.html
International Smoking Prevention Award2011-09-09 12:30:00Evergreen Healthcare today announced that Shelly Henderson, Evergreens lead health education coordinator and director of production, is the recipient of the first Annual Smoking Cessation Community Prevention Award from Nicotine Solutions for her outstanding dedication to helping people in the community quit using cheap cigarette online products.
Nicotine Solutions is a California-based world leader in smoking cigarettes cessation programs. Its international prevention award recognizes groups or individuals who make a significant impact in promoting and supporting community members in their efforts to stop smoking cigarettes.
Evergreen and Nicotine Solutions have partnered for 12 years to offer Eastside residents discount cigarette online cessation classes, with Henderson leading the program coordination, facilitation and community outreach.
Our work together would not be so successful without Shellys dedication to each class and each individual, which shows her deep passion and commitment to the community, said Nicotine Solutions founder Lela Bryan. Shelly has truly been a superior partner to us, and it is a pleasure to work with someone who is instrumental in helping so many people.
Henderson, a certified health education specialist (CHES), has coordinated smoking cigarettes cessation programs for the Eastside community at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center since 1999. Her work has helped hundreds of residents stop using nicotine products through her efforts to bring cessation programs to area companies, community centers, senior centers and health fairs.
We are so proud of the exceptional work that Shelly has done to positively affect the lives of so many in our community by targeting the most preventable cause of health problems, said Evergreen Hospital CEO Robert Malte. At Evergreen, we place a considerable emphasis on leading treatment with prevention and education, and Shellys work with Nicotine Solutions is a prime example of that care philosophy.
Nicotine Solutions classes take a multifaceted approach to treating nicotine addiction, and the program helps cigarettes users quit using proven behavioral modification techniques throughout an eight-week course. Participants attend live, interactive classes that meet as a group either in person or via teleconference. By the end of the course, 90 percent of Nicotine Solutions students successfully quit smoking cigarettes or chewing, with 70 percent reporting a tobacco-free lifestyle after one year.
Evergreen participants in the Nicotine Solutions program experience similar success, as described by one class member: After 33 years of smoking cigarettes and using nearly every means available to quit, I finally managed to do so on October 25, 2005. For this reason, I want to thank Evergreen Medical Center and Shelly Henderson, for they not only taught me how to quit, but how to stay that way.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/international_smoking_prevention_award.html
Tobacco Ban Slated To Start In January2011-08-29 11:00:00Emory University will implement a tobacco-free policy on January 1, 2012 — a semester later than the originally planned August start date — to allow for a longer transition period and more opportunities for communication regarding the policy.
Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Co-Head of the Task Force Theresa Milazzo said the task force, which has been spearheading the policy, altered its original implementation plans largely after feedback from multiple focus groups and other comments and concerns, particularly on the policys website.
With the added time, Milazzo wrote, comes more communication and educational opportunities in addition to more time for cessation efforts.
David Payne, director of communications, explained that the Jan. 1 start date was discussed first at a University Senate meeting last March.
Besides allowing for a smoother transition period, the later implementation date also allows time for incoming freshman to learn about and grow accustomed to the policy, Payne said.
Nothing beats [freshmen] being on campus and seeing the University move towards the ban on tobacco, he said, adding that freshmen were notified abou the policy during the admissions process.
To aid the transition period, the University decided to create hot spots — or designated smoking cigarettes zones around campus — as a response to feedback from the campus community.
The zones allow people to smoke cigarettes in certain areas on Emory property, Milazzo wrote.
She added that the task force determined hot spots after committee members surveyed the campus looking for locations where people generally use tobacco.
Task force members chose transitional smoking cigarettes zones based on their relative isolation to avoid the issue of second hand smoke, to ensure respect for personal safety of the smokers and to maintain a location within five minutes of major workplaces and out of respect for their commitment to responsibilities such as their work schedules.
They added that the needs of other University visitors in areas such as the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emory Continuing Education and the Miller-Ward Alumni House also played a role in determining the location of hotspots because they are areas of Emorys campus that attract numerous visitors each year.
Payne said that the transition period from a semi-tobacco free campus to a full-ban on discount cigarette online will likely last from January to August 2012.
Hot spots will appear on campus within the next several months, according to Payne.
However, by next fall, Payne said he does not anticipate hot spots will still be on campus because he expects a full ban to be implemented on the University campus by the beginning of that time.
In accordance with other national online cigarettes initiatives, Aetna, the Universitys insurance plan for some of its students and faculty members, will add a $50 tobacco user surcharge to faculty and staff and their covered spouses or same sex partners enrolled in the Universitys health plan to deter smokers and promote a healthier campus, Milazzo explained.
The goal of the surcharge is to support the overall health and wellness of the Universitys faculty and staff — to get people to stop using tobacco and live healthier, longer lives, Milazzo wrote in an email to the Wheel. Many employers are instituting a tobacco surcharge for the very same reason that Emory is — to discourage tobacco use by those covered under their medical plans. Further, the surcharge makes a statement that tobacco use is not risk free and those that engage in it should be aggressively encouraged to cease its use.Payne added that Emory is not an outlier compared to other health-care systems.
He explained that the surcharge measure will put Emory in a consistent position with many [health] systems in Atlanta, which also deter smokers by adding a certain amount to the charges on their insurance policy.
The University sought advice from its peer institutions — such as Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina — which have are farther along in enacting similar tobacco-related policies, according to Payne.
They generally say implementation is not as difficult as anticipated and we are hopeful that will be the case here too, he said.
Payne explained that although the University will extend the expected time frame to implement the new policy, the gist of the tobacco ban will remain the same, retain its non-punitive measures for noncompliance and will remain community enforced.
In the meantime, the task force will continue its focus on communications, data and research, facilities, education and cessation, policies and enforcement, patient impact and alumni and visitor impact.
Emory is acting within the emerging trend of policy in higher education, Payne said.
Payne expects that within a year of implementing the tobacco policy, the task force will evaluate the efficacy of the tobacco policy on campus.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/tobacco_ban_slated_to_start_in_january.html
The Tobacco Companies Just Keep Trying2011-08-28 10:47:00Tobacco companies are back in court trying to prevent the government from imposing new regulations that will require bold warning labels on cigarette packages and advertisements. They lost a similar federal lawsuit in tobacco-friendly Kentucky last year. Now they are suing in Federal District Court in Washington.
The Food and Drug Administration gained the authority to regulate cigarettes products under a law passed in 2009. Among various restrictions placed on buy cigarette online advertising, the law required that stronger warning labels — including those that graphically depict the harm caused by smoking cigarettes — cover the top half of the front and the back of cigarette packs.
Several tobacco companies sued in Kentucky to have the laws marketing restrictions overturned as unconstitutional infringements of commercial speech. They lost decisively on the requirement for bigger, bolder, colorful labels, which the judge deemed a carefully tailored provision to present the dangers of smoking cigarettes in a more powerful way than the traditional smaller, text-only warnings.
The new suit challenges the specific graphic warning labels chosen by the F.D.A. in June to best illustrate the dangers. The suit contends that the federal government cannot force manufacturers to cede half of the package to a message that warns people not to buy the product without infringing on the companies First Amendment rights.
The district court in Washington, a pioneer in exposing the history of deceitful and harmful behavior by the tobacco industry, should reject this latest effort to evade tobacco regulation that is needed to protect public health. http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/the_tobacco_companies_just_keep_trying.html
Morrill County Fair Went Smoke-free This Year2011-07-29 10:05:00The Morrill County Fair will end its run as a smoke-free event.
The Panhandle Public Health District donated signs so visitors would know about the new ban.
Fair board President Melissa Amateis told Scottsbluff television station KDUH that the board decided that going smoke-free just makes a better place for everybody to come out and enjoy whats going on without having to deal with the smoke.
County fairs in many parts of the country have banned smoking cigarettes, while others have banned smoking cigarettes in only certain areas of their fairgrounds.
The Morrill County Fair is scheduled to end Sunday.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/morrill_county_fair_went_smoke_free_this_year.html
Teens And Smokeless Tobacco2011-07-28 10:04:00Smokeless tobacco products are an unsafe, extremely addictive product, just ask anyone who has used them! Unfortunately, the new smoking cigarettes bans in effect have an unintended effect on the use of smokeless tobacco. In light of these bans, tobacco companies are strongly marketing their smokeless tobacco products. Many of these products are being advertised as more discrete alternatives to cigarettes in places where smoking cigarettes is not allowed. Some companies promote these smokeless products as a way to help quit smoking cigarettes. However, these products contain more nicotine than cheap cigarettes and therefore create an addiction quickly.
Keep kids from starting:
Parents can be the greatest influence on their own teens, even if they are users themselves. Share with your kids, at a very early age, about how you got started, how difficult it is to quit and what it costs you. Help them find help to quit if needed.
Corporate tobacco is constantly developing new, enticing products. Adding fruit flavors and shaping smokeless products in the form of miniature pouches, sticks, strips and tablets are being marketed and advertised. Even though the legal age of purchasing tobacco is 18, its not difficult for youth to get their hands on it. The tobacco industry knows that if someone does not use tobacco products by the age of 18, there is at least a 90% chance they never will. Marketing is designed to draw the interest of younger users because the industry seeks to replace its customer base. Camel Snus, for example, is sold in packaging designed to resemble the size and shape of a cell phone.
reACT Against Corporate Tobacco, Montanas youth lead group, plans activities and events to keep youth informed about corporate tobaccos lies and tricks. Recently, 80 teens met in Helena to set goals for the upcoming year. Teens in the Mission Valley area plan to focus on policy change. They plan to continue encouraging the movie industry to rate any movie which contains tobacco to be rated R. The youth plan to move forward includes making more outdoor events tobacco free.
They also want to evaluate the advertising and placement of tobacco products in local area stores where youth frequently shop. reACT is not against tobacco users, its about getting people to understand how the tobacco industry manipulates people into getting hooked!http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/teens_and_smokeless_tobacco.html
Hospital Says Smokers Need Not Apply2011-07-27 10:03:00From the signs prohibiting smoking cigarettes outside to the new salad bar, the message at Central Texas Medical Center is clear -- staying healthy applies to both patients and employees.
Now that approach is headed to the hiring process. Starting Sept. 1, CTMC will no longer hire any tobacco user. When the hospital screens job applicants for illegal drugs, they will also check for nicotine.
Smoking is a preventable complication from aging and health and thats why were targeting it, said Hospital Marketing Director Clay Destefano. He adds the decision comes amid rising insurance costs.
Non-smokers will qualify for lower insurance premiums in 2012. Current employees who use tobacco can keep their jobs but will not qualify for those savings.
Three years ago CTMC joined many other hospitals when they prohibited smoking cigarettes on their property. Now the decision to extend that smoking cigarettes ban to the hiring process puts them on a much shorter list with greater attention.
CTMC is not the first employer to stop hiring smokers. Companies such as Macys, Scotts Miracle Gro, and the nationally reknowned Cleveland Clinic have already gone to tobacco free hiring.
If you choose to smoke cigarettes thats your right, said DeStefano. You know you can do that, but we also have a right not to hire you for that reason.
Plans are also underway to reward employees who lower their blood pressure and reduce body fat.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/hospital_says_smokers_need_not_apply.html
Smoking Ban Debate Will Continue In City Council2011-07-26 10:02:00A possible smoking cigarettes ban in El Campos restaurants, bars and other public places took a step forward Monday night.
City Council directed staff to collect information on how a ban would be implemented and enforced along with samples of other municipalities ordinances.
In a survey seeking public input on park needs earlier this year, the city included a question on whether smoking cigarettes should be prohibited in public businesses.
Only 1,000 of the surveys went out to targeted residents throughout El Campo and 427 were returned. Of those, 404 responded to the question on smoking cigarettes with 58.4 in favor of the ban. Of remaining respondents, 22 percent said they supported smoking cigarettes and 14 percent said they didnt know.
I have a little bit of a hard time with it, Mayor Richard Young said. Personally, I would have said get rid of it, but its a question of fair government. Its free choice to patronize a specific businesses.
Councilman Steve Ward said he had heard from business owners wanting to stop the ban.
I got an earful the other way. That 58.4 percent, Councilman Ed Erwin said.
Ward suggested putting the question to a public vote.
Councilman Chase Nielsen questioned how, and if, the city could separate a restaurant from a bar.
I dont think it would be good for business in bars, he said.
Erwin pointed out bans in major cities,
I have a hard time with government telling people what to do without hearing more, Ward said. Id like to hear from them.
For now, staff will research the issue.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/smoking_ban_debate_will_continue_in_city_council.html
Smoking Opinions From City2011-07-25 10:00:00Results from the two open house meetings held on the public smoking cigarettes initiative show a slight majority answering in favor of the three main questions posed by the San Marcos city staff.
Combined results show a total of 97 persons signing in with 89 answering the first question, Are smoking cigarettes and second-hand smoke cigarettes a problem in San Marcos?
Just over half, 56 percent said yes and 42 percent said no, with two percent with no opinion.
On the second question of Is the city of San Marcos the right entity to address the issue?, 60 percent said yes and 36 percent said no, with three percent having no opinion.
The final question, Should the city of San Marcos further restrict smoking cigarettes?, 51 percent said yes and 48 percent said no, with one percent having no opinion.
The two open house meetings were held last week at the citys activity center and the Texas Music Theater.
City staff will take the information gathered from the two meetings plus responses left on the Smoke-Free Message Board on the city website and present them to the council at its Aug. 2 meeting.
According to the city website, the council will then make a decision on language which may be used in the Nov. 8 ballot to gauge opinion on a possible smoking cigarettes ban here.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/smoking_opinions_from_city.html
UTA To Ban Tobacco Products2011-07-24 09:59:00The University of Texas at Arlington is going cold turkey.
Starting Monday, the campus will become completely tobacco-free. Faculty, students, staff and visitors will not be allowed to use any tobacco products on university property. Officials say violators could be subject to disciplinary action.
The policy also prohibits advertising, sale or free sampling of tobacco products. It replaces another policy established in 1991 that banned tobacco use inside buildings, prohibited its use outside within 50 feet of any building and set up outdoor smoking cigarettes areas.
The American Lung Associations Web site says more than 200 college campuses nationwide have banned tobacco.
Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls went tobacco-free in January 2010. In Central Texas, Alamo Colleges have been tobacco-free since Sept. 1, 2007.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/uta_to_ban_tobacco_products.html
Discarded Cigarette Blamed In Fire2011-07-23 09:58:00Twenty-five people were displaced after an improperly discarded cigarette caused an apartment fire Sunday morning in Northeast Austin, fire officials said.
The fire at the Trestles apartments at 1071 Clayton Lane, near Interstate 35 and U.S. 290 East, was ruled accidental but could have been easily prevented, Austin fire Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said. The fire caused $350,000 in damage, one apartment was destroyed, and six other apartments sustained smoke cigarettes and water damage, fire officials said.
No injuries were reported.
American Red Cross of Central Texas spokeswoman Sara Kennedy said some of the displaced families had friends or relatives to stay with, and apartment managers were helping to temporarily relocate those who dont to vacant apartments in other buildings of the complex. The Red Cross primarily provided food to residents, she said.
Fire Lt. Jim Baker said residents of undamaged apartments would not be allowed to return until the buildings wiring was checked.
The call about the fire came in at 8 a.m., Baker said. The first officials on the scene found the fire on the third floor of the apartment building, Baker said.
Austin police and fire officials evacuated residents from Building 16, where 17 of 24 apartments were occupied, fire officials said.
Erin Smith , who lives in an apartment across the parking lot, said she called 911 after seeing flames and ran upstairs to bang on doors to get people out.
Firefighters got the fire under control in 15 to 20 minutes, Baker said.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/discarded_cigarette_blamed_in_fire.html
Pequannock Council Reintroduces Revamped Smoking Ban2011-07-22 15:19:00A revamped smoking cigarettes ban ordinance was introduced at the Township Councils July 12 meeting that features a graduated system of penalties for violations as well as language that will remove the designated smoking cigarettes area at PV Park.
Under the re-introduced ban, a person caught smoking cigarettes at a park where it is prohibited would face a $50 fine for the first time, $75 for the second, and a $100 fine for the third.
On the second and third offenses, community service would also be part of the punishment.
The designated smoking cigarettes area at PV Park would also be abolished. Township Manager Dave Hollberg said that the caveat had been a part of the original agreement that banned smoking cigarettes at the lake some years ago and would contradict the current ordinance.
More discussion… again
The council discussed the ordinance at length once again, and this time, one of the ordinances main drivers, Health Officer Pete Correale, was on hand to make an impassioned plea in support of as broad a ban as possible.
Correale said that similar laws have been posted in 115 New Jersey towns, as well as New York City, and that the goal is not so much directly related to reducing health impacts on non-smokers as it is to changing how people, and especially children, look at smoking cigarettes in general.
The crux is (that) when a child is not exposed to someone who is a model adult smoker, he tends not to smoke, Correale said, adding that he doesnt support the micromanaging of the ban, such as prohibitions in some areas of some parks but not others.
Its not about the smokers rights. Its about how you change the paradigm of society, how you get to the next generation that is smokeless, he said. You dont do that by saying, We dont think its good to smoke, but well let you smoke cigarettes right over there. That sends a mixed signal to children.
He also dismissed the idea that the prohibition would be difficult to enforce and said that it is as enforceable as any of the townships other laws and would be enforced on a complaint basis.
Were not going to go into parks and sit there and look for smokers, he said.
To further illustrate the depth of the problem, Mayor Rich Phelan brought in a half-dozen zippered baggies loaded with cigarette butts that he and Correale had picked up from different parks in about an hours worth of time.
Harsher penalties
Councilwoman Cathy Winterfield said that she remained uncomfortable with the way the previous ordinance was written, with its prohibiting smoking cigarettes at several local parks such as Greenview, Riverside, Foothills, and PV Park, but not at others like Woodland Lake or Mountainside Park.
The reasoning for this was that while children tend to gather and play at the former parks, they dont congregate at the latter ones because there is no playground equipment or the like.
However, Winterfield said that she thought banning smoking cigarettes at some but not others is sending a mixed message about the health risks of smoking cigarettes and that if the council is going to ban smoking cigarettes, it should do so across the board.
She also suggested a penalty system that increased fines incrementally, establishing community service as one of the punishments for a second or third offense.
Much of the council balked at the proposition; however, Councilwoman Melissa Florance-Lynch said she liked the more gradual approach.
Councilman Ed Engelbart agreed with Florance-Lynch and said that it would be important for the correct signage to be posted so visitors to the parks know that theyre smoke-free environments.
Councilman Jay Vanderhoff continued to voice concerns about the ban, especially because of the enforcement difficulties that he has addressed in the past month.
He also said that he feels there is a line on where government should stop and that although he doesnt support smoking cigarettes, he doesnt see many residents coming forward to say that it was a problem in the parks.
Its another step for government enforcing almost, basically, everyday regulations on people, he said.
However, he was part of the unanimous vote to reintroduce the ordinance, this time with the graduated penalties and the abolishment of the designated zones.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/pequannock_council_reintroduces_revamped_smoking_ban.html
Pool Halls Challenge Of Smoking Ban Fails2011-07-21 15:18:00The state Court of Appeals put a damper on a Guilford County pool hall owners attempt to get around the states ban on smoking cigarettes in restaurants and bars.
A three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that he failed to prove his narrow argument that he was being denied his 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law, which allows smoking cigarettes in not-for-profit clubs but not in for-profit clubs. But the panel did not rule on the larger issue of whether such a ban is constitutional.
Don Liebes, owner of the Gate City Billiards Country Club in southwest Greensboro, tried to bypass the smoking cigarettes ban by declaring his business a private country club - when there was talk in the drafting stages of not applying the law to country clubs.
Instead lawmakers focused on the difference between not-for-profit and for-profit clubs.
Liebes attorneys have argued that the law, put into effect in January 2010, violates the pool hall owners rights by exempting nonprofit private clubs from the restriction but making it apply to for-profit private clubs.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars, for example, may smoke cigarettes inside their private club posts. As may anyone at Elks, Moose and other private lodges, under the law. Nonprofit country clubs can permit indoor smoking cigarettes if they choose.
But for-profit private clubs - whether golf, billiards or some other game is the draw - must prohibit smoking cigarettes indoors, under the state statute.
Liebes has invested more than $10,000 in his legal fight.
His attorneys argued that lawmakers went beyond their constitutional bounds when they drew a line between for-profit and not-for-profit private clubs.
But the appeals court panel said the pool hall owner failed to prove his case.
A Pitt County bar has challenged the same law on its constitutional basis. Though that case has not been decided, the outcome could have an effect on Liebes business.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/pool_hall_s_challenge_of_smoking_ban_fails.html
Smoker Awarded $1.07M In Lawsuit Against RJ Reynolds 2011-07-20 15:16:00RJ Reynolds has settled a personal injury lawsuit it was facing over allegations that it was responsible for Julia Reeses chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Stage II laryngeal cancer. Reese, a life-long smoker, was diagnosed with COPD and cancer at the age of 82. She required a full laryngectomy as treatment for her cancer.
In her lawsuit, Reese alleged she began smoking cigarettes RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. brand cheap cigarette online when she was 10 years old and became addicted. Although she allegedly tried to quit smoking cigarettes several times she was unsuccessfuly and still smokes despite her health status. Defense counsel argued that Reese smoked because she enjoyed it and didnt make serious attempts to stop.
Counsel for the defense argued that Reeses COPD may have resulted from her asthma and that the throat cancer could have been a result of her consumption of alcohol. They also argued that Reese enjoyed smoking cigarettes and didnt make serious attempts to stop.
The jury hearing the case found Reese 70 percent liable and RJ Reynolds 30 percent liable. Consequently, the originaly settlement award was reduced from $3,551,277 to $1,065,383.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/smoker_awarded__1_07m_in_lawsuit_against_rj_reynolds.html
Balanced By Tobacco2011-07-19 15:09:00Tobacco has been very, very good to Minnesotas budget. And this year, the evil weed has come to the rescue again.
A key part of the deal that ended the states 20-day shutdown on Wednesday was a Republican plan to borrow against annual payments made by tobacco companies to Minnesotas general fund. Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, initially rejected but eventually accepted the tobacco bonding proposal.
In 2003, when the state faced a huge deficit and a similar political battle over taxes and spending, the compromise was to raid health-care endowments funded by tobacco companies.
In both cases, money from the states landmark 1998 settlement of a lawsuit against Big Tobacco allowed deficits to be addressed without cutting more deeply (which DFLers opposed) or raising statewide tax rates (which Republicans opposed.)
The state and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota sued tobacco companies in the 1990s, producing a settlement valued at $6.5 billion. The lawsuit also produced a trove of documents on the tobacco industry that exposed the industrys long history of deceptive marketing, advertising and research, according a Mayo Foundation report.
The bulk of the money flowed to the state to set up permanent health-care endowments and as continuing yearly payments to the states general fund.
Interest on the endowments was to be used to pay for tobacco prevention, medical education, the Us Academic Health center and other public health efforts.
By mid-2002, three endowments were valued at $943 million. In 2003, that money proved irresistible. The endowments were dissolved and the money was used to help resolve a budget deficit.
The annual payments have continued to flow into the states general fund and will do so in perpetuity, as the lawyers say. The money is used for general state operations and the current-year amount is $160 million. This weeks agreement between Dayton and the Legislature allows the state to borrow money by selling bonds backed by the tobacco industry payments. The net state proceeds will be $640 million, state officials say; as with all loans, Minnesota will incur interest and other costs.
The 1998 settlement also produced approximately $469 million for Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and $200 million for an advocacy group now known as ClearWay Minnesota. ClearWay continues its work in smoking cigarettes-cessation, advocacy and research. The group argued against the tobacco bonds idea and favored a cigarette tax hike instead.
When this deal is completed, much of the long-term benefit to state taxpayers from the tobacco settlement will have been used to address immediate budget crises. And as was the case in 2003, Minnesotas books will be balanced with one-time money that will not be available to Dayton and the Legislature when they go to work on the next budget in January of 2013.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/balancedby_tobacco.html
ULM Researchers Discover Fresh Tobacco Leaves Can Fight Cancer2011-07-18 12:53:00Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Monroe have discovered anticancer compounds in the most unlikely of places — tobacco leaves.
Khalid El Sayed, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the ULM College of Pharmacy, and ULM colleagues Paul Sylvester and Girish Shah received a patent for their discovery of anti-cancer compounds in fresh tobacco leaves earlier this week from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The leaf and flower of the tobacco plant contain high amounts of the key flavor ingredient called cembranoids, which shows promise as an anti-cancer agent, El Sayed said. It was very exciting to discover the anti-cancer activities.
But this doesnt mean people will reap the same benefits by using commercial tobacco, he warned, adding that much of the anti-cancer compound is lost in the processing of commercial tobacco.
This compound is not commonly found in commercial tobacco because commercial tobacco is largely degraded into smaller compounds for about a year to give it flavor during the processing and fermentation, he said.
The cembranoids are found in the waxy substance on fresh tobacco leaves and show potential for controlling metastic breast and prostate cancers. The plant produces them as a chemical defense to protect itself against insects and harmful microbial infections, El Sayed said.
El Sayed said the idea originated after examining soft-bodied corals, which also produce cembranoids to guard themselves against predators.
We were collecting soft-bodied corals and found that it was using something to deter predators away, and these marine cembranoids are known for their anti-cancer activity, he said. So then we became interested in isolating the same compound in tobacco leaves.
And sure enough, thats just what they did.
This is a remarkable discovery, said Karen Briski, head of the department of basic pharmaceutical sciences. It demonstrates that there is a helpful, healthy application for tobacco.
Shah, professor of pharmacology, said the discovery came as quite a shock.I was tremendously surprised considering tobacco is a well-known carcinogen, he said. This goes against the current dogma.
El Sayed said he hopes to sell the rights to the patent to a company that can support more pre-clinical and clinical testing of the compound so it can be used to develop beneficial applications.
El Sayed said his team also is working with other researchers to explore how the compounds can be used to protect neurological activity in addition to how they can be used to control tobacco addiction.
Fresh tobacco is an important and relevant agricultural crop for many states in the U.S., he said. With this discovery, growers can now start producing tobacco forpharmaceutical use.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/ulm_researchers_discover_fresh_tobacco_leaves_can_fight_cancer.html
Alexandria Officials Considering Ban On Smoking In Bars2011-07-17 12:47:00The city of Alexandria is considering expanding its ban on smoking cigarettes to include all businesses in the city, including bars.
The ordinance, if passed by the Alexandria City Council, would go into effect on Aug. 27.
A public meeting is set for 2 p.m. today in the City Council Chambers, on the first floor of Alexandria City Hall, to discuss the merits of expanding the citys current smoking cigarettes ordinance. Concerned citizens, as well as owners of all businesses who would be affected by the ordinance change, have been invited to attend.
There will not be a vote taken at this meeting, City Attorney Chuck Johnson said. It is only to allow all interested folk to discuss and debate the merits of the ordinance, make suggestions for changes, etc.
City officials originally adopted a limited smoking cigarettes ban in February 2006. The state adopted smoke-free guidelines in most public buildings on Jan. 1, 2007; however, smoking cigarettes is still permitted in bars and casinos.
The Smoke-Free Air Ordinance, which also would include a ban on smoking cigarettes in certain outdoor areas under city control as well as in city vehicles, has been proposed by the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living.
Carrie Broussard, policy and advocacy manager for the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, said the organization has been making a push through its Lets Be Totally Clear campaign to ban smoking cigarettes in all workplaces.
Its all about people who are unprotected having a voice, she said. After the restaurants went smoke-free, we kept hearing from bar employees and casino employees who kept saying, What about us?
Violators of the ordinance would be subject to fines. Smokers could face fines of $25 for a first violation, $50 for a second violation and $100 for each additional violation. Property owners and managers who allow smoking cigarettes in prohibited areas, however, could be subjected to a $100 fine for a first violation, a $250 fine for a second violation within one year and a $500 fine for each additional violation within one year.
Johnson said the citys administration will not take a stand either way on supporting the expanded smoking cigarettes ban.
The administration takes no position, Johnson said. I will be there only to gather the information, as a legislative history, to inform the council.
Broussard said city officials, particularly City Council President Roosevelt Johnson, have been champions for a complete ban on smoking cigarettes in Alexandria.
Roosevelt Johnson said Alexandria has been one of the leaders in banning smoking cigarettes throughout the state, and this issue is an important health issue.
We just want to hear from both sides, from those who are for it and those who have concerns, to see what we want to do to move forward, he said. --» Its a good thing. I feel good about it. Health issues are important for our city.
Our wish is to see the day where all employees in our state can have smoke-free air, Broussard said.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/alexandria_officials_considering_ban_on_smoking_in_bars.html
Howard County Outdoor Smoking Ban Goes Too Far2011-07-16 12:45:00Howard County executive Ken Ulman is right. Smoking is a dirty, filthy habit. But it also happens to be legal. Ulman is joining New York and other localities in banning smoking cigarettes in county parks. The vast majority of Howard County does not smoke, Dr. Peter Beilenson told The Sun. Public property is meant to be enjoyed by the majority.
James Madison warned about the tyranny of the majority. Another smoking cigarettes restriction is not tyranny, but it looks like discrimination. Indoor smoking cigarettes is a health hazard. Im glad newsrooms arent filled with cancer fumes anymore. But there is little evidence that secondhand outdoor smoke cigarettes harms anybody. Even the scientists who research this stuff are a little amazed at whats going on. Heres what Boston University public health professor Michael Siegel wrote in the NYT:
Inevitably, smoking cigarettes-ban opponents ask me, Whats next, banning smoking cigarettes outdoors? My answer has always been no: not only can people move around and thus avoid intense exposure, but smoke cigarettes quickly disperses in the open air.
Now, to be philosophically consistent, Howard County has to outlaw public park campfires and barbecues, too.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/howard_county_outdoor_smoking_ban_goes_too_far.html
Kanawha Smoking Ban Violations Down2011-07-15 16:57:00Citations for violating Kanawhas smoking cigarettes ban have dropped significantly since the ban was extended to bars and gambling establishments three years ago.
Anita Ray, director of environmental services for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, said inspectors found 11 violations in 3,149 Clean Indoor Air inspections in the last fiscal year, which ended July 1.
Thats up slightly from the year before, when health department inspectors conducted 3,387 Clean Indoor Air inspections and wrote 13 violations.
Both figures are down sharply since the smoking cigarettes ban was expanded to include bars and gambling parlors in 2008.
Inspectors conducted 3,174 inspections that year and found 177 violations.
Ray said the health department sent nine cases to magistrate court in 2009.
The smoking cigarettes ban went into effect for restaurants and other businesses in 2004. Bars and gambling facilities were added to the ban in 2008.
People were not happy. The people that wanted to smoke cigarettes continued to smoke, Ray said.
But public perception of the ban has since improved, she said.
Weve actually had people to call us up and thank us for it because they can go into the bars and not smell like cigarette smoke, Ray said.
A sign of a good public policy is engagement of the public, said Dr. Rahul Gupta, health department executive director.
He said policies can be controversial and unpopular when introduced but will eventually become the norm.
Most violations now come from people smoking cigarettes within 15 feet of a businesss entrance, Ray said.
Those are usually corrected so they dont usually end up in court, she said.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/kanawha_smoking_ban_violations_down.html
Special Interests Snuffed Out Cigarette Tax2011-07-14 16:56:00While the number of smokers in other states is dropping, West Virginia continues to have the highest rate of smokers of any state in the country, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some state lawmakers blame special interest groups for blocking efforts to reduce smoking cigarettes rates in the Mountain State.
The topic was tackled on the July 9 edition of Decision Makers with West Virginia Media CEO Bray Cary.
Despite the states efforts, the number of West Virginians smoking cigarettes has stayed stagnant at nearly 27 percent for a couple of years. Kanawha Countys chief health officer told Cary that if the numbers dont start going down, it has the potential to break the back of the state budget.
Tobacco is sort of a precursor to a lot of chronic disease burden for our state, said Dr. Rahul Gupta, health director for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.
West Virginias 55-cent tax on cheap cigarettes is one of the lowest in the nation. Lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to push through a bill this past legislative session that would have raised the tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack to a $1.55. Under the proposed legislation, a portion of the increased revenue would have been dedicated to tobacco prevention efforts and education programs.
Gupta and two top members of the state House of Delegates, Del. Don Perdue, D-Wayne, and Del. Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, agreed during the discussion about the issue on Decision Makers that the state sales tax on cigarettes online must be raised.
Carmichael, the House minority whip, said, The financial burden upon West Virginia is enormous – from premature deaths to lost productivity in the workplace to the direct health care costs that our state spends to prop up and subsidize smoking cigarettes.
But Perdue, the chairman of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, acknowledged that the tobacco industry is very strong.
When Cary asked if the tobacco industry killed a bill that would have increased the state tax on cigarettes, Perdue responded, Well, with respect to what happened to the tobacco tax, certainly they did. They certainly had the capacity to bring enough confusion to the table. When legislators are not sure, theyll often vote no than theyll vote yes.
Carmichael added, At the end of the day, were talking about raising $120 million worth of new tax revenue on cigarettes. Its the right thing to do. Its good for the health of our citizens and that tax money needs to come off another area.
Several on the show suggested the food tax or the corporate tax could be lowered if the tax on buy cigarettes were raised.
Gupta said that while the tax on discount cigarettes is an important tool, there must be a comprehensive tobacco control strategy applied statewide. http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/special_interests_snuffed_out_cigarette_tax.html
Greenville City Council Passes Revised Smoking Ban Ordinance2011-07-13 16:55:00By a vote of 6-1 Monday night, Greenville City Council approved revisions to its current smoking cigarettes ban.
The revisions will go into effect on August 1 and will impact a variety of sectors in the business community.
Perhaps the biggest revision made impacts businesses that have balconies, decks or porches at their establishments. Diners hoping to smoke cigarettes will no longer be able to do so, due to the revision that will prevent them from smoking cigarettes in the extended areas of the establishment, where food and beverages are allowed.
Private clubs were not exempt due to the revised ordinace.
The current exemption, which allows the clubs to allow smoking cigarettes when the public is not invited has been eliminated. Private clubs must now enforce the no smoking cigarettes policy at most functions, unless a special designation has been implemented.
City Council also took a large step in designating the meaning of cigar bars and retail tobacco stores in the revision.
Both Cigar Bars and retail tobacco stores are allowed to operate within the city, so as long as smoke cigarettes from their premises does not infiltrate into areas where smoking cigarettes is prohibited. City of Greenville authorities will enforce the ordinance on the particular establishments by determing whether or not smoke cigarettes is present by performing smoke cigarettes tests.
Childrens playground and parks are also among the places where smoking cigarettes will no longer be acceptable. Councilmembers voted to designate areas around childrens playground equipment as unacceptable areas for smoking cigarettes, while certain areas of grassy areas, paths and other surfaces will be taken into consideration on a case-by-case basis.
Outdoor events will also be regulated by Greenville City.
The Greenville City Manager will no longer be able to use his discretion to to designate smoking cigarettes areas. As a result of secondary smoke cigarettes at highly populated events, the city will be able to enforce the existing regulations at outdoor events.
Mayor Knox White was the lone disenting vote.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/greenville_city_council_passes_revised_smoking_ban_ordinance.html
Lighting Up Indoors Off Limits2011-07-12 16:54:00A heat index of about 114 degrees greeted Summerville smokers Tuesday on the first day of the towns indoor smoking cigarettes ban.
The ban prohibits smoking cigarettes indoors at public places and fines violators and business owners $10 to $25 per incident. The exceptions to the new ordinance are private residences and tobacco stores. Existing cigar bars are grandfathered in and are also part of the exception.
Heres what people had to say about the ban:
Joshua King, Summerville
I think the ban is a good thing. I used to go all the way downtown because I didnt want to go to places here because of the smoking cigarettes.
Junior Hoewischer, Summerville
Smoking is an individual right. If a bar says I can smoke, why not let me smoke? Whats the next thing theyre going to do? Tell me what I can and cannot have for supper? I bet if Berlin G. Myers were still in office, this would not have happened. All the troubles in the world and theyre going to bother me about a cigarette? Its all about choice. If you dont have freedom, what do you have?
Timothy Vanderhorst, Summerville
I think the ban should only be at certain places. I think my boss is going to lose business because smoking cigarettes goes hand in hand with drinking for some people. You should be able to make a choice. There should be non-smoking cigarettes and smoking cigarettes bars so that people can make their own choice, instead of banning it completely.
Marty Duncan, Summerville
Its doesnt really bother me because Im used to smoking cigarettes outside. It (the ban) worked downtown, so it will work here. To each his own.
Paul Raven, Walterboro
Its a good thing because it cuts down on polluting others lungs. Im about to quit (smoking cigarettes) again.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/lighting_up_indoors_off_limits.html
Council Bans Smoking In City Parks2011-07-11 16:51:00fter much debate, City Council on Monday voted 7-2 to prohibit the use of tobacco in city parks and recreation areas.
While some argued about the dangers of second-hand smoke cigarettes and the litter from cigarette butts, there was a more important point to the new policy, Council President Marianne Clattenburg said.
Its the example we set when children see adults smoking cigarettes, she said during Mondays business meeting.
And soon anyone in city parks and at Jackson Square will be asked to abide by a tobacco-free policy. Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian proposed an amendment to the resolution that would offer a limited, designated area in the parks. Council voted that down 7-2. Both votes got a yes from Tim Buckley, Sam Barone, Bob Bialkowski, Bill Cox, Patty Pacino, Frank Ferrando and Clattenburg. Kathy Briggs and Christian voted no.
Briggs went for the designated area pitch because its a compromise, she said.
Everything is being regulated, including whats an appropriate greeting — happy holidays — at Christmastime, Christian said. She did not want this all or nothing.
Government has gone way too far with our rights, she said.
Councils other vote to prohibit alcohol anywhere in city parks (the current wording allows for drinking in pavilions) was not unanimous and therefore did not pass. Usually there has to be a grace period between a public hearing and a vote on the same issue. Council was able to vote on the night of the hearing but it had to be unanimous to pass, Clattenburg said. The vote would have included all areas in the park and required a permit for gatherings at the pavilions.
Ferrando, Cox, Buckley, Bialkiowski, Pacino and Clattenburg said yes while Christian, Briggs and Barone said no.
Residents Dave Twichell and John Roach spoke on opposing sides during a public hearing prior to the vote. Twichell, who is president of the Youth Board, cited a study done by the Centers for Disease Control that showed how many youths were drinking alcohol, he said.
An ordinance banning consumption ... would be a valuable tool in the battle of underage drinking, he said.
No law is going to change the amount of underage drinking, Roach said. He asked what was the purpose of the change and whether the town of Batavia was consulted about it. The city and town have a joint task force to work on a plan to consolidate both municipalities. A lot of money has been spent so far on the effort and now the city is changing the law, he said.
Is this another unnecessary change just to irk people? he said.http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/council_bans_smoking_in_city_parks.html
Hypnotist Principal Faces Questions After Suicides2011-07-10 22:46:00High school principal George Kenney acknowledged using hypnosis to help people: students who needed to relax before tests, a basketball player having trouble making free throws and even school secretaries who wanted to quit smoking cigarettes.
But now the popular 51-year-old principals future at North Port High School is in question since it came to light that he had hypnotized two students before their separate suicides this spring. There is no indication their deaths were any more than a tragic coincidence. However, Kenney acknowledged conducting the sessions after being warned by his boss to stop such one-on-one hypnosis with students at school.
Most students, teachers and fellow administrators at the southwest Florida school were aware that Kenney was a trained hypnotist who would eagerly help those who sought him out for sessions, according to a school district report. Students looked forward to his demonstrations in a psychology class and at other school events.
In April, according to the Sarasota County School District report, he hypnotized a 16-year-old student to help him better focus on a test. The next day, the boy committed suicide. Kenney was put on leave in May when the boys parents, who had given their permission for the sessions, raised concerns after his death.
The administrators situation then got stickier when an investigation showed that he had also hypnotized another student five months before her May 4 suicide, initially lied about it and had defied three separate verbal warnings to stop the sessions with students.
A 134-page independent investigative report released by the district last week includes an interview with Kenney, who acknowledged defying the orders and then lying.
Im not saying I used great judgment all the time here, he told an investigator. I think I used poor judgment several times.
But the report also reflects the support and affection Kenney enjoys at the 2,300-student high school, about 90 miles south of Tampa. Two Facebook pages, one with more than 1,600 fans, have been created to support Kenney, principal of North Port High since its opening in 2001. Some students who were hypnotized say it helped them with sports and academics.
Many students and staff credit him with guiding the school through a time of grief. In March, before the two suicides, a 16-year-old football player was killed in a car crash, which followed the traffic death of a teacher killed driving to school in November.
Kenney is the glue that just holds the school together, said his administrative assistant, Dianna McLaren.
Kenney declined to comment through his attorney, Mark Zimmerman, who said there is no causal connection between the hypnosis sessions and the suicides. Both students had sought Kenneys help with test anxiety and had signed permission slips from their parents, Zimmerman said. In the case of student Brittany Palumbo, her mother was present during the session.
It sort of conjures up a feeling of mind control, which of course is not what hypnosis is, Zimmerman said. This was hypnosis as a relaxation and focus technique to aid in test and athletic performance.
Zimmerman said Kenney initially misspoke when he told an administrator that he had not had a session with Palumbo, and never intended to hide it.
Kenney was more than a hobbyist when it came to hypnosis. He wrote four books about using hypnosis in defeating test anxiety and mastering baseball and basketball skills. He trained at a Florida hypnosis center and was a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists and the National Board of Hypnosis Education and Certification. He told investigators he has worked with around 36 students — with parental permission — in the past couple years, mostly on test anxiety, athletic performance and anger management. He also worked with several of the schools sports teams, staff members and their families.
Dr. Kenney isnt doing any hocus-pocus, Ann Brandenberger, a psychology teacher at the high school, told an investigator. That is just what this has been blown into.
According to the report, Kenney would have people close their eyes and visualize something serene as he talked them into a state of deep relaxation, then would suggest to them that they will feel calm and focused before a test, sporting event or other activity.
Gerald Kein, director of the National Board of Hypnosis Education and Certification, described hypnosis as bypassing the critical factor of the conscious mind, creating an open-mindedness to new ideas.
Kein said that to his knowledge Kenney didnt violate any of the boards rules about treating children. Rules call for written permission from parents and urge parental involvement in the sessions. Kein said a hypnotist shouldnt work with anyone who clearly needs help from a licensed medical professional. Kenney said he had no indication that either student who later committed suicide was suffering from mental illness.
I think the whole thing is ludicrous. I think its ridiculous, said Kein, who is also director of the Omni Hypnosis Training Center in DeLand, Fla., one of the places where Kenney trained. From what I understand, he just worked on motivation with these young people, motivation and test anxiety and allowing them to be the very best they can.
School district spokesman Gary Leatherman said school officials will wait to see whether the North Port police decide to prosecute Kenney under a decades-old state law that requires a doctors reference for hypnosis as therapy. After that, the district superintendent will decide what, if any, punishment he should receive.
Kenneys attorney said hes working in the school district offices pending the outcome of the investigation and looks forward to getting back to his post at the high school. http://www.cigarettesmax.com/tobacco-news/hypnotist_principal_faces_questions_after_suicides.html